Rise of the Red Hood
by Darth Azrael
Summary: When a red helmeted figure starts killing criminals, Batman investigates and a ghost from the past comes back to haunt Bruce. Borrows certain elements from Under the Red Hood. Some slight Terry/Max.
1. Chapter 1

It was cold in NEO Gotham tonight, and the woman was regretting not bringing a pair of jeans to change into. She was stuck wearing her miniskirt and a thin jacket. She shivered and looked around at the myriad of other late night partiers walking the streets. A few called out to her, making lewd gestures and comments, but she just waved and kept walking. She looked behind her and noticed a hooded man following her. She walked faster, hoping it was just her imagination, but every time she turned around he was there, smiling and always a certain distance from her. Her fear growing, she started jogging. She looked behind her; he was there, matching her pace. She broke into a run, wishing she hadn't worn heels and regretting every second of it. She turned down an alley, panting, and pitched forward into a puddle when her heel snapped. She groaned lightly and looked up. The hooded man was there, he started laughing. "You're pretty fast little bird", he said. He pulled his hood down, revealing a painted face and jester hat. "But it's time for this Joker to put a smile on your face." He began giggling as he advanced on her. The woman backed up, her skirt riding up as she tried to get away. "Oh, a little foreplay, that's hot.", he said, advancing on her. The woman screamed, and from further down the alley, a voice rang out. "That's enough Jingles." Jingles looked down the alley, squinting in the darkness for the voices owner. "Someone trying to spoil my fun?" he pulls a length a chain from his jacket. "Well come on tough guy." A figure emerges from a shadow, clad in black pants with combat boots, a black shirt and brown jacket. And on his head was what resembled a red motorcycle helmet with no face visor, only two white eyeholes.

Jingles looked him over. "You been spendin' time on the game grid program? Did you derezz Mr. Sark?" he began to swing his length of chain back and forth, walking towards the helmeted figure. The helmeted man flicked his wrist and a blade sprung into his hand. He pressed a button and the bottom fanned out, making the blade resemble the spade on a playing card. He drew his arm back and hurled the spade at the Joker. It flipped end over end until it finally embedded itself into Jingles forehead tip first. Jingles fell back landing with a thud, the spade stuck in his head. The helmeted man walked over to the woman and held out his hand. "You alright?" he asked. The woman took his hand and shakily stood. "Yeah, I think I'm okay.", she said, pulling her jacket tighter around her shoulders. She looked at Jingles, and the spade sticking out from his head. "Aren't you going to get your knife back?" she asked. The man shook his head. "I'm sending a message.", he said simply. "To who?", she asked. He turned around and pulled a spraypaint can from the ground and sprayed a symbol onto the wall. When he stepped away, she moved closer. Painted on the wall, in blood red paint, was the symbol of Batman. He dropped the can and turned to her. "You better get home.", he said. The woman nodded and continued down the alley before disappearing around the corner.

* * *

><p>Terry McGinnis walked out of his class, stretching and yawning, accidently smacking himself in the face with his history book. "Tired McGinnis, or did you just want to log onto Facebook?", a voice said from behind him, he turned around, smiling at the pink haired, dark skinned girl that was his best friend. "Why bring up that dinosaur site Max?", he said, bending backwards and feeling his spine pop. Max smiled. "The joke was there, I had to go for It.", she responded as they walked towards the schools entrance. After graduation Terry and Max had decided to attend Gotham University together. Daina had moved a few months into summer and Terry had been single ever since. Though Max was taking classes Terry couldn't even begin to wrap his head around, he couldn't hold it against her. "You see the news? Someone's been killing off gang members. Mostly Jokerz, but the others are there sometimes. The old man have any theories?", Max asked. Terry shook his head. "You know how he is, wants me to figure it out for myself." Terry shook his head again before yawning. "You want to grab a bite to eat? My treat.", Terry offered, hitting the button on his keychain to unlock his car doors. Max nodded as she pulled open her door as Terry slid across the hood and got into the driver's seat. Max shoved her backpack in the backseat and clicked her seatbelt into place. "Burgers?", Max asked. Terry looked at her and smiled. "Always.", Terry said, starting the car. The engine roared to life and Terry pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road. Max switched the radio over to the news station and listened to the reporter. "Gotham police have discovered another body belonging to the Jokerz gang. According the reports the gang member was killed by a razor sharp spade shaped blade."<p>

"What do you think, Royal Flush Gang?", Max asked. Terry shook his head. "Doesn't match their MO. If it was them the spade would be marked with a "J" or something along those lines. I'll head to Gotham PD tonight and see what I can dig up.", he said pulling into the parking lot of the fast food joint. They ate in relative silence, briefly discussing some of their lessons and teachers. As Terry drove Max to her apartment he was cut off by a man wearing a bright red helmet and riding a motorcycle. "Damn Sunday drivers.", Terry muttered as he pulled up in front of Max's apartment complex. Terry and Max said their goodbyes and Terry drove towards Wayne Manor. He pulled up in front of the wrought iron gates and waited for them to open, once they did he pulled his car into the garage and headed for the Batcave. He patted Ace on the head as he passed the dog, lounging on a comfortable chair. He pulled the grandfather clock aside and descended down the staircase into the Cave. As he approached the computer, he began speaking, knowing Bruce was listening. "You hear about the latest corpse? Had a spade blade sticking out of its head.", he said as he reached the console, he found Bruce in his usual pose; fingers laced together, his chin resting on his thumbs. "I always hear McGinnis.", Bruce said as he looked at his newest protégé. Terry saw that Bruce was reviewing crime scene photos of the latest murder. "Get out there and see what's going on."

Terry suited up and flew out over the city.


	2. Chapter 2

The Batmobile soared over the skies of Gotham. Terry checked the various scanners and computers, looking for any sign of the person who was killing criminals. His earpiece crackled to life and Bruce's voice came over the headset. "Anything yet?", he asked. Terry shook his head. "Not yet. Scanners all read clear for now.", he said. Bruce grunted. "Keep an eye out for increased gang activity. If they've been watching the vids, they'll try to draw him out by increasing their activity.", he said. Terry nodded. "Will do. Over and out.", he said, clicking off his earpiece. He continued to soar between the skyscrapers as he scanned the streets below. He was moving to a new sector of the city when one of his consoles began beeping. He pulled up a video image of a group of Jokerz breaking into a store and stealing computers. He put the Batmobile in autopilot and dropped out into the air, extending the wings and thruster boots in the suit and landed in front of them. "I hope you have a warranty on those.", he said, dropping into a fighting stance. The Jokerz looked at each other before scattering like roaches. Terry smiled to himself before chasing the largest group down an alley. As he turned down the alley something whizzed by his cheek. He looked down the alley and saw a man wearing a bright red helmet holding a gun.

The man shrugged and holstered his weapon. "Sorry about that Bats. Thought you were one of them.", the man said, gesturing to the people lying on the ground, unmoving. Terry didn't have to check them to know they were dead. Each one had a bullet hole in their head. "So you're the one who's been killing criminals huh?", Terry asked. The man nodded and bowed, as if proud of his accomplishment. "You know what the first Batman never understood? That you can't stop crime with fear. You have to use violence, and control it. Keep it on a tight leash.", the man said, turning around and climbing up a fire escape. Terry grimaced and climbed up as well. "So you decide to play executioner for the ones that don't do what you say?", he asked. "Who, the clowns down there? Hell no, I just have a grudge against their namesake, the first Joker. Not as satisfying as killing off the laughing lunatic myself but for every clown prince wanna be I kill is a little part of my score settled.", the masked man said. "Let me get the introductions out of the way now. You can call me the Red Hood. And I'd like you to join me Batman.", the Red Hood said, extending his hand as if to shake Batman's. The Dark Knight narrowed his eyes. "You know I won't do that Hood.", he said. Red Hood let his arm go limp before shrugging. "Alright, we do this the violent way.", he said, flicking his wrist and sending a spade shaped blade at Terry.

Terry launched a batarang, knocking the spade blade out of the air. Hood charged at Terry, throwing a punch that he deflected, but failed to block the knee to his groin and the uppercut that caught him as he doubled over. Terry's earpiece crackled again. "Terry what are you doing? Take him down!", Bruce said. _Easier said than done._ Terry thought as he sprang to his feet and kicked at Hood, who grabbed his leg and used Terry's momentum to throw him to the edge of the rooftop. Terry rolled himself to his feet before he fell off the roof and got up, noticing Hood had drawn a knife and was charging again. He sidestepped and Hood overextended leaving an opening for Terry to get a shot at his kidney. Hood screamed but stayed on his feet, and turned, slashing with the knife and cutting Terry's arm. Hood sheathed his knife. "Hate to cut the party short Bats, but I gotta fly.", Hood said, picking up what looked like a metal backpack and strapping it to his back as he jumped off the roof. As he fell, a thruster at the bottom of the pack ignited, propelling him into the air. Terry looked at his arm and signaled for the Batmobile. "I can't believe there are finally jetpacks and it's the bad guys using them.", he muttered before leaping into the cockpit and taking off after Hood. The flare from the jetpack was enough to help Terry track it as the criminal weaved in between traffic. Hood looked back for a moment and saw the Batmobile giving chase. He hit a button on his forearm and two sections of the jetpack lifted up and turned themselves toward the flying vehicle. Hood smiled and hit the button again, and the two lifted sections of the jetpack began firing bullets at the Batmobile, the shots pinging off the Batmobile's blast shield. "Whoa.", Terry said before maneuvering the Batmobile away. But wherever he moved, the jetpacks guns followed him. Hood laughed and cut power to the jetpack and freefell for a few seconds before re-igniting, flying in the opposite direction and under the Batmobile. Terry scowled, turning the Batmobile into a sharp turn and diving after Hood as he turned down an alley. Cutting off the jetpack again, Hood fell towards the street, rolling as he landed and stopping by a red sports car.

He hopped in and started the engine before speeding out of the alley and down the street. Weaving in and out of traffic, Hood turned onto a freeway and into the shutdown industrial sector. Terry followed the car, flying low to the ground as it turned down different roads and stopping in front of a long abandoned chemical plant. His earpiece crackled again. "Be careful McGinnis. I smell a trap.", Bruce said. Terry scoffed as he dropped out of the cockpit and watched Hood climb into an open window and vanish into the shadows. "Smells more like rat shit and stray dog.", he said, walking into the building. Terry looked around at the empty chemical vats, wondering what they once held. From the shadows, Hood's voice sounded. "Been a long time since I was here Bats. 'Course you wouldn't know that. Long before your time.", Hood emerged from the shadows, gesturing to a broken railing. "Fell through that railing and into that vat.", he said. Terry scowled at him. "Who are you?", he asked. Hood laughed. "The ghost of Gotham's past.", he said before hurling another spade blade at Terry, who fired a batarang. Hood threw a black ball into the ground and it erupted in a cloud of smoke. Terry coughed and threw another batarang into the smoke, but it stuck in the wall on the other side of the room. He looked around, but the Red Hood had disappeared. His earpiece crackled. "Terry, come back to the Cave. There's something I need to tell you.", Bruce said. Terry wondered what it could be as he hopped into the Batmobile and flew towards Wayne Manor.

A few hours later, in the harbor district, in an abandoned warehouse, the leaders of the greatest crime families in the city sat a table, all on edge, and one of them very angry. "The fuck do you mean you didn't call this meet?", one of them said, addressing the blonde man across from him. The man leaned forward. "I thought it was you east side losers. You already rolled over for Kobra and I figured you were going to ask us in.", he said. A heavyset man sitting next to him scowled. "'Rolled over'? The bastards killed six of my crew in a month. Six! Some of my best people.", he said. The blonde man turned to the heavyset man. "So did you call this meet?", he asked. The heavyset man shook his head and gestured to the thin man on his other side. "I thought this was Chico's meet.", he said. Chico shook his head. "Wasn't me.", he muttered before Freddy stood up. "To hell with this, I'm leaving. If you brain donors want to hang around-" "Sit down Freddy.", he was cut off by a voice from the catwalk above. They looked up and saw a man wearing a leather jacket and red helmet. "It's my meeting.", the man said. The crime bosses stood up, with exclamations of "It's him!", "Batman?", "We didn't do nothing."

The Red Hood walked into the light before speaking, the fluorescent light reflecting off of the assault rifle in his hand. "Well we all know _that's_ a lie.", he said. Chico and his bodyguards pulled their guns and aimed them at the Hood. "Who the hell are you?", he asked. Another crime boss pulled his gun. "Smoke him.", he said. Hood aimed his rifle and fired, putting holes in the table and chairs as the mobsters dove to the floor. He let go of the trigger. "I said _sit down_!", he growled. One of the mobsters stood up. "You wanna die? There's easier ways to kill yourself.", he yelled. Hood chuckled. "Yeah, like yelling at the guy holding the AK 47.", he said before leaning on the railing. "Listen you drug peddling scumbags. I will be running the drug trade from now on. You eight are the most prosperous street dealers in Gotham. I'm offering you morons a deal. You go about your business as usual, but kick up forty percent to me. That's a much sweeter deal than the scraps Kobra is leaving you. In exchange, I will provide total protection against both Kobra, and Batman. But you stay away from kids and schoolyards. _No dealing to children_, got it? If you do, you're dead.", he finished. Freddy laughed. "And what keeps us from pumping you full of lead and dumping your corpse in the harbor?", he asked. Hood reached down and tossed a duffle bag onto the table, where it landed with a squelching thud. "Open it and find out.", he said. Freddy scowled and did so, then screamed and stumbled back. The other bosses looked inside and gasped, Chico actually throwing up.

"Those are the heads of your top lieutenants, took me about two hours. If you break my rule, it will be _your_ head, and it will be hanging from the flagpole of Gotham P.D. Do I make myself clear?", Hood asked. The Mob bosses nodded. "Good. Meeting adjourned", Hood said before before opening fire on the mob bosses again, sending them jumping for cover. When the firing stopped and they looked back to the balcony, the Red Hood was gone, only a cloud of smoke was left. Chico looked at the other bosses before saying, "Forty percent works for me."


End file.
